Gloria Estefan, as far as I know, was one of the first artists
to fuse pop music with Latin grooves. Her formula has worked well
for her, as well as for the whole pop industry, which has ever
since been teeming with Latino/Latina singers following in her
footsteps.
The latest trend in the amalgamation of pop and Latin music is
the infusion of R&B and hip-hop elements into it, a la
Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez. Yohany follows this current
style in Latin-pop on her album
All That I Want.
Yohany, much like Lopez, is hot. Much like Lopez, she doesn’t
have a breathtaking voice, and much like Lopez, she doesn’t write
the songs – well, most of them – on her album. But, much like most
of the pop albums that are created these days – and much like
Lopez’s albums –
All That I Want is filled with catchy and singable
numbers.
All That I Want has all the elements you would expect to
find on a modern Latin-pop album. The album has at least one song
that is sung partly in Spanish. It has a couple of songs featuring
a rapper. There are ballads, and there are hip-hop numbers, and
there are lyrics that sing “Making love is more than just physical
touch,” and “You cannot have my number.”
So,
All That I Want is indeed quintessential Latin-pop. But,
there is an exceptional aspect to this record, and that is that it
possesses major influences of early/mid-nineties pop music.
Reminisces of Vanessa Williams and Mariah Carey are evoked on
the ballads “All That I Want,” “Making Love,” and “Lost You
Forever.” This retro spin to the music is refreshing, and adds a
nostalgic tinge to it.
Although artists like Madonna, Seal and many others have changed
the way pop records are looked at, and brought this music the kind
of seriousness and meaning generally associated with rock records,
most of their competition simply seek to make albums that provide a
pleasant and appealing background for listeners who don’t want to
put too much thought into the music they are listening to. Yohany,
with her very fine record
All That I Want, positions herself among the latter group of
musicians.
